Rotary International

We hope you have enjoyed your virtual visit to the Coronation Garden. Our aim in regenerating the garden was to provide a special place that people of all ages would want to visit and gain an understanding and awareness of aspects of Penrith’s rich heritage.

The Rotary movement was formed in 1905 and is now one of the largest service organisations in the world. There are Rotary Clubs in most countries and this international movement with over a million members worldwide is very active in Great Britain and Ireland. Rotarians, men and women alike, all share the ideal enshrined in Rotary’s motto, Service above Self, and work ceaselessly to help those in need. Rotary is non-political, non-religious, open to all cultures, races and creeds, and has a membership largely drawn from local business and professional communities.

Penrith Rotary Club was formed in 1946 and our members meet on a regular basis in an atmosphere of friendship and shared expertise to plan projects that will benefit the lives of others. Locally we work closely with schools to promote various developmental programmes. We help the disabled and disadvantaged, and support a wide range of charitable and good causes. Further afield we work, often with international agencies, to fight disease, improve health and education, to provide clean water, combat hunger and alleviate the effects of disasters, such as shown in these images. For more information, see penrithrotary.org.uk.

The Rotary Foundation, Rotary’s own charity, promotes many humanitarian programmes in countries of need. Its commitment to eradicate polio from the world represents the most significant humanitarian act ever promoted by a volunteer body. Working with the World Health Organisation, governments and other agencies, four million children who would have been otherwise crippled by polio now lead normal lives. Rotary members have helped to immunise more than two billion children. In one national immunisation day in 2011, 152 million children in India were vaccinated.

When you read this panel in future years we hope our dream has been achieved and that polio is but a distant memory.

Rotary clubs depend on the skills, expertise and dedication of their members, who work hard to change the lives of people in communities both at home and abroad. The opportunities to help those in need are endless.

Please consider being a member of Rotary and make a real difference to people’s lives all over the world. www.rotary.org